First Presbyterian Church, U. S. of Troup
Troup, Smith County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The Rev. W. W. Brimm of Tyler began conducting Presbyterian worship services in this area in 1873, soon after the town of Troup was platted along a line of the Houston and Great Northern Railroad. Under his direction, this church was organized that same year with eight charter members. The first ruling elder was Colonel Thomas W. Bell (1802-1876), who moved to Texas from Tennessee in 1849. After settling in Canton, now Omen, where he owned a hotel, he moved to Troup. A charter member of the First Presbyterian Church, he was instrumental in the early development of the congregation. Services were moved to this site from a temporary sanctuary in 1876, when trustees acquired the land from the railroad company. A building here served the congregation until 1908-09, when a new structure was completed. During construction of the facility, services were held in the local Masonic Lodge Hall. For over a century the First Presbyterian Church, U. S. of Troup has been active in the development of the community. Many pioneer area settlers and early civic leaders were members here. Part-time pastors have included several seminary students who later became prominent Presbyterian leaders.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
As the railroad town of Troup rose along the Houston and Great Northern line in 1873, the Rev. W. W. Brimm of Tyler gathered eight charter members to organize its First Presbyterian Church that same year. Its first ruling elder was Colonel Thomas W. Bell, a Tennessee transplant who had run a hotel at nearby Omen, and the congregation moved to this railroad-deeded lot in 1876, later replacing its early building with a new sanctuary in 1908–09.
Why it matters
The church traces how railroads and the congregations that sprang up beside them organized the civic life of newly platted East Texas towns.
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Related people
- · Rev. W. W. Brimm
- · Col. Thomas W. Bell
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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